"I've never felt like this before, and I don't know how to express myself properly," Ziqian said softly. "I'm sorry… What I really wanted to say is that I love both of you equally, and I want to marry both of you during the upcoming Eulogia," he whispered near the end. "Of course… that is, if the two of you are okay with it."
As soon as he finished talking, Ziqian tightened his arms around Xue. He was too embarrassed to lift his head. His face was already flushed red, and he instinctively tried to hide it against Xue's neck.
But how could Xue possibly let go of the chance to look at the sub-beast while he was saying something so important?
Xue gently pulled away from the sub-beast just enough to look at him properly, his gaze fixed on Ziqian's slightly swollen peach blossom eyes.
Ziqian's breath caught at the way those blue eyes looked at him, as if they could see straight into his soul. He had always thought Xue's eyes were beautiful, clear, and calm like the sea, but now those ocean-blue eyes had darkened, filled with emotions he could not fully understand.
It made his heart pound uncontrollably.
Ziqian felt overwhelmed and flustered. He instinctively avoided Xue's gaze for a moment before softly calling out. "Xue…"
But Xue tilted his head slightly and met the sub-beast's eyes once more.
"Ziqian, I want to be with you for the rest of my life," he said, his voice heavy with emotions he could no longer hide. "I made that decision the moment I realized my feelings for you. Back then, I thought it wouldn't matter even if you didn't feel the same way, because I would still devote myself to you."
His gaze never left Ziqian's face, the emotions in his eyes deep and unwavering.
"But now that I know you feel the same way…" His deep voice remained calm, but every word carried overwhelming sincerity. "I want to give you every part of me. Everything I have, everything I am, and everything I'll become in the future…"
Xue's gaze softened as he looked at Ziqian.
"I love you, Ziqian."
Ziqian felt his heart could burst from happiness. The man rarely spoke this much, yet every word he said stirred his heart deeply.
I'm so happy.
"You're in love," Ero replied knowingly.
So this is what it feels like to be loved by the person you love?
"Yes," the four guardians replied in unison.
Ziqian smiled as tears streamed down his flushed cheeks, but his eyes remained bright, twinkling softly in the dimly lit room. "I feel the same."
Xue gently wiped away his tears with his thumb. "Stop crying. Your eyes are already swollen."
Instead of answering, Ziqian threw himself into Xue's arms.
Xue had been crouching in front of the sub-beast for quite some time, so he was caught off guard by Ziqian's sudden action. He loses his balance, and the two of them tumble together, but even then, Xue instinctively protects the back of Ziqian's head before they hit the ground.
"That's dangerous," Xue reprimanded softly, but there was anger in his voice.
Ziqian giggled, his arms still wrapped around him. "I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt."
Xue's expression softened further as he looked at the flushed and tear-streaked sub-beast in his arms.
"I won't let you get hurt anymore," he said quietly, the words sounding more like a solemn oath than a simple promise.
Ziqian buried himself deeper into the man's chest, quietly nuzzling against him as he inhaled the faint scent of Xue's pheromones. After finally confessing his feelings, he felt lighter, as if the heavy burden pressing on his chest had finally lifted.
But there was still one problem left unresolved.
"Xue… I'm worried about Huo," Ziqian said softly.
"He will be fine," Xue replied.
Ziqian shakes his head. If the guardians hadn't told him about the danger of going berserk, he would also think that everything will be fine.
"I know that the two of you don't have a good relationship. That's why I was afraid to confess my feelings for the both of you. I am afraid that he would think badly of me and it might affect his recovery." Ziqian's voice gradually grew quieter, guilt and worry creeping into his every word. "But now I realize I was wrong. It only made things worse. He even went berserk again…"
"All I want now is to clear everything and let him know how important he is to me... I don't care anymore if he ends up hating me."
"I understand," Xue said, hugging Ziqian tighter. "Let's talk to him together."
Before Ziqian could respond, the flap of the inner tent suddenly opened. Lia walked in with a serious expression, followed by Bei, who was carrying Huo on his back.
Ziqian was startled by their sudden entrance. Even Xue looked slightly surprised. Earlier, all his attention had been focused on Ziqian, causing him to ignore everything around him. He had not even noticed when his parents arrived.
Lia's gaze swept over Xue and Ziqian before shifting to Bei and Huo, whose body was trembling faintly on his husband's back. The usual gentleness and calmness on Lia's face were nowhere to be seen.
"Let's all talk properly," he said gravely.
They had heard everything from the very beginning.
After following Xue and Ziqian back to the tent, Lia and Bei had originally intended to bring Huo inside immediately so he could receive proper treatment. Earlier, Lia had only managed to bring a few basic potions for first aid, making it impossible to properly stabilize Huo's condition outside.
Huo's state was already unstable, and with every passing moment, the strain on his body only grew worse.
However, the moment the three of them heard the conversation inside the tent, Huo suddenly raised his trembling hand to stop them, and despite the intense pain coursing through his entire body, he stubbornly refused to let Bei enter.
Hou's breathing was already uneven, and his body was trembling from the lingering effects of his berserk state, but he still endured it in silence. It was as if he were afraid that stepping inside would interrupt something important, or maybe he simply wanted to hear Ziqian's true feelings with his own ears.
Despite the urgency of Huo's condition, Lia and Bei could only remain in the outer area of the tent with him, listening quietly as the conversation between the two continued.
Xue seemed completely unaware of their presence, his entire attention focused solely on Ziqian.
As he listened, Lia's feelings became increasingly complicated.
At first, he felt surprised and happy.
Lia was surprised by the way Xue interacted with Ziqian, because he had never seen this side of his son before.
Xue had always been calm, rational, and emotionally restrained. No matter the situation, he rarely showed any visible fluctuations in emotion. Whether dealing with the tribe's affairs or interacting with others, even with them, he always maintained a cold and composed demeanor, as if nothing in the world could truly move him.
It was only after Ziqian grew close to him that Xue slowly began to change.
And now, just hearing the panic and helplessness in Xue's voice as he tried to stop Ziqian from crying, Lia suddenly felt that his son was finally learning how to express his emotions like an ordinary person.
But as the realization of everything sank in, Lia's happiness gradually turned into worry.
Then there was guilt.
From the moment he first met Ziqian, he already had a good impression of the sub-beast. That was why he had wanted Ziqian to marry Xue in the first place. Back then, whether it was Xue or Huo did not matter much to him. However, after realizing that Ziqian might be the person mentioned in the oracle, he naturally believed Xue, as the next patriarch, was the more suitable choice.
As their mother, no one understood better than Lia how strained the relationship between Xue and Huo was. But despite knowing all that, he had still ignored Huo's feelings because he believed that it was for the betterment of the tribe.
A wrong decision had ended up hurting both his sons and Ziqian. In the end, everything that had happened stemmed from his own choices.
And beneath all those complicated emotions, there was also fear.
Lia was now certain that Ziqian was the God Messenger mentioned in the oracle.
Gaia was far too vast and filled with countless unknowns. Once Ziqian's identity was revealed to the entirety of Gaia, not only Xue and Huo but even the entire Winged Tiger Tribe might be swept into the center of a storm far greater than any of them could imagine.
No one knew what the Beast God's intentions were in sending Ziqian.
Countless thoughts and emotions started to tangle within Lia's heart, leaving his mind in complete turmoil.
At the same time, many questions surfaced in his mind because of the words Ziqian had said earlier.
He even went berserk again.
What did Ziqian mean by "again"?
Had Huo fallen into a berserk state before this?
If he had, then when did it happen? Why doesn't he know about it?